Round of 32 Matchup

  Earlier today, Gonzaga beat Southern University, 64-58.  Pittsburgh lost to Wichita State today too.  This means Gonzaga will be playing Wichita State in the round of 32.  Pittsburgh is a team who can bring on the pressure.  Many people were expecting Pitt to win.  The reason Pitt won so many games was because of their home court advantage.  The Panthers are not a very good team on the road.  This game was in neutral territory, and Pitt didn't have as much fan support and noise as they did during the regular season.  Wichita State was a team that surprised many people last year.  They are a good team that can grind out any win.  When they are told they can't win, they win, and they make it a big deal.  Gonzaga had an amazing record this season at 31-2.  Their only significant loss was to Butler in the middle of the season.  Butler also won today.  Gonzaga didn't have a very difficult schedule this season, a result of their astounding record.  Still, to only lose two games in one season is impressive no matter who you play.  When Gonzaga plays Wichita State, I think Wichita State will win.  Wichita State is a team that grinds out wins in hostile environments and in important games.  Gonzaga has been celebrating and they will most likely carry that on when they play Wichita State.  This is normal for any team and any player after a big win, especially after a close win.  Wichita State remains calm and keeps their composure, allowing them to comeback from large deficits.  This game will be a hard fought battle though.  Every player's skin will be left on the floor from hustling.

By Ameen I.

Vander Blue to the Rescue

In the first round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament the Marquette Golden Eagles faced failure in the eye against the Davidson Wildcats, until Vander Blue of Golden Eagles made a last second lay-up to put Marquette up by 1. Vander Blue wasn't even the best performer over all for Marquette, Chris Otule had that one in the bag. Otule had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. The Wildcats top performer was Jake Cohen who had 20 points leading all scorers this game. The final score was 59-58 Marquette.

Gonzaga and Southern University were also among the teams to play in the first round today. Gonzaga faced a bad loss in the eye until they broke away in the second half playing cat and mouse. Then, they struck taking a 6 point lead and keeping it to win by a score of 58-64. Kelly Olynik was a big help for the Gonzaga Bulldogs with 10 rebounds and 21 points, Olynik did have 4 fouls so he had to play carefully the last minute or so. For the Southern University Jaguars Derick Beltran lead the club 21 points and shared the lead in assists with 3.

As the scores keep coming we'll keep getting the information out!

By David B.

Upset

  Duke has sunk to Maryland in the ACC Tournament.  Maryland had the energy to start off, resulting in a 34-26 halftime score with Maryland on top.  Duke was upset by Miami early this season, and they were down big at halftime.  This game was similar to that until the second half.  Last season, Duke lost in the first round of the March Madness Tournament.  Duke isn't a very good road team, especially when something very important is on the line.  Whatever Coach K said to his team in the locker room really put some heart into Duke in the second half.  Duke didn't have enough heart to catch up.  Duke was outscored 49-48 in the second half.  The final score was 83-74 with Maryland on top.  Duke shouldn't be hanging their heads over this loss though.  Duke came out strong in the second half and if they could to that in the first half too, Duke would've had more of a chance to win.  This loss will wake Duke up and tell them that they won't win every game and it isn't going to be easy to win.  In every win, you have to find the bits of strength left in you.  After every game, there should be every players' skin on the court.  Dez Wells led Duke with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.  Mason Plumlee led Duke and had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block.  It doesn't matter whether you lead the team in scoring; it is if you do your job and help your team win.  Ryan Kelly for the Blue Devils only had 8 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds.  He needs to get back into his shooting groove to help Duke to more wins.

By Ameen I.

Notable Team

  There are many teams in the NCAA, but the one team that is the most underrated team is the Villanova Wildcats.  They have beaten Syracuse, Georgetown, and Louisville this season.  Although, all of these wins for the Wildcats have been at home.  They beat Georgetown by ten points and beat Louisville by nine points.  Villanova only beat Syracuse by four points.  The Wildcats are an excellent three-point shooting team.  When playing Syracuse, this extended the 2-3 zone and allowed openings behind the zone for a dunk and a quick pass into the post.  After being fed into the paint, the receiver of the pass just has to turn around and shoot.   Villanova is 42% from the field.  They are full of outside shooters.  Currently, they are a bubble team, but they shouldn't be.  They have beaten their opponents when their opponents were in the AP Top 10.  Villanova should be a seven seed in the March Madness Tournament.  They would have a very good Cinderella Story.  Villanova will be he team to watch in the Big East Tournament and the March Madness Tournament.

By Ameen I.

New Number One

  The Gonzaga Bulldogs have taken the number one spot for the first time in school history.  Miami lost to Duke in Cameron Indoor while Ryan Kelly was on fire.  Kansas State fended off Baylor with a last second shot.  Now is the time for teams to start winning important games in their conferences.  Also, Indiana was upset by the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  In many minds and mine, Ryan Kelly of the Duke blue Devils is the player of the week.  In March, anything can happen; upsets.  March Madness is nearing and many games are already having a playoff environments to them.  The following is the list of the top 25 teams in the AP Top 25 Poll.

1) Gonzaga

2) Indiana
3) Duke
4) Kansas
5) Georgetown
6) Miami (FL)
7) Michigan
8) Louisville
9) Kansas State
10) Michigan State
11) Florida
12) New Mexico
13) Oklahoma State
14) Ohio State
15) Marquette
16) Saint Louis
17) Syracuse
18) Arizona
19) Oregon
20) Pittsburgh
21) Virginia Commonwealth
22) Wisconsin
23) UCLA
24) Notre Dame
25) Memphis                                                                                                                         By Ameen I.

Villanova Creeping Up

  March is just around the corner, and that means that March Madness is about to begin.  With the NCAA March Madness Tournament coming up it means there will be more and more talk about which teams will be the number one seed and which teams are on the bubble.  I think the team that has a very good chance of making it into the tournament this year is the Big East team Villanova.  The Wildcats have upset very good teams in the Big East.  For example, they beat Louisville, part of the Cardinals' three game losing-streak.  Villanova also upset the Syracuse Orange.  After beating Louisville, Villanova edged out the Orange in an overtime thriller.  The Wildcats had sent the Orange into a two game losing-streak and a three game road losing-streak.  They will be a team to look out for, with their ability to drain three-pointers in clutch moments.

By Ameen I.